Police cover in Dartmouth could soon be given a major boost as bosses prepare to treble the number of full-time officers based in the town.

At the moment, police strength in the town is down to two full-time officers backed up by three police community support officers.

In the next few months, it is planned to increase the number of full-time officers to five and restore the sergeant post lost last summer.

The move follows a senior level decision to give local police bosses more flexibility in the way they deploy officers in their communities.

And it is also in response to Dartmouth's uniquely isolated position which has provoked criticisms over attendance times when officers have had to travel from Totnes or Kingsbridge to answer emergency calls.

South Hams Insp Andy Tomlinson said he was hoping to have the extra officers in place in Dartmouth over the next two or three months.

He said the aim was to increase the number of full-time officers from two to six – including a sergeant – although the number of PCSOs would not change.

But he pointed out that those officers would be working out of Dartmouth police station on shift patterns, so the full complement would not all be on duty at any one time.

For more on this story, see this week's Dartmouth Chronicle